This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
Published on July 5, 2020, a quarantine hotel in Jeondae-ri, South Korea, has become the focal point of an angry and noisy protest. The hotel, which houses foreigners under government regulations, has been the subject of concern for residents and business owners in the area.
The regulations, which include a ban on leaving rooms and limited access to the door, have left foreigners with little hope of escaping the daily torment. Mr. Thompson, a 59-year-old who has been quarantined at the hotel since Sunday, has asked to be moved to a room at the back of the hotel, away from the protest site. However, his request was rebuffed due to the limited availability of rooms.
Oh Sung-il, an official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has downplayed the concerns of protesters, stating that the risk of Covid-19 transmission from the hotel is groundless. However, the protesters remain fearful of infection and its impact on their livelihoods.
Restaurants, motels, and other businesses in Jeondae-ri rely heavily on visitors to nearby Everland, South Korea's largest amusement park. The pandemic has already taken a toll on these businesses, and the confirmation of a Covid-19 case at the quarantine hotel has made things worse.
Cha Ki-cheon, a 59-year-old motel owner, has expressed his concerns about the impact of the quarantine hotel on the local economy. He stated, 'Fewer people have stopped in our town as bad rumors about our town spread. The rumor was more fearsome than the virus itself. If the government plans to run the quarantine center here until the epidemic is over, our local economy will be dead by then.'
